Motor fuel dispensing apparatus

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for dispensing a selected grade of motor fuel (each grade having a different octane rating) has an array of operating pushbuttons a selected one of which may be actuated (the selection being made according to the grade of fuel desired) to start the dispensing operation. Upon the actuation of a pushbutton, certain instrumentalities in the apparatus are energized or released to (among other things) select gearing in the apparatus appropriate to the grade selected, reset the counter or register to zero, set a control valve to a predetermined position, and start up the pump to cause the dispensing of fuel to begin. All of these functions are performed automatically, i.e., without any further human intervention, once the pushbutton has been actuated. Upon the termination of the actual dispensing, electrical instrumentalities are automatically activated to carry out certain resetting operations, prior to the next dispensing operation. The dispensing apparatus is particularly suitable for a self-service type of operation.

United States Patent [151 3,705,596 Young Dec. 12, 1972 [54] MOTOR FUELDISPENSING Primary Examiner-Robert G. Nilson APPARATUS Attorney-GeorgeL. Church, Donald R. Johnson, [72] Inventor: Einm. T. Young, NewtownWilmer E. McCorquodale, Jr. and Frank A. Rechif [73] Assignee: Sun OilCompany, Philadelphia, Pa. [57] ABSTRACT [22] Filed: Oct. 30, 1970 Anapparatus for dispensing a selected grade of motor fuel (each gradehaving a different octane rating) has an array of operating pushbuttonsa selected one of which may be actuated (the selection being made ac-Appl. No.: 85,612 I Related U.S. Application Data cording to the gradeof fuel desired) to start the [62] 1 2 22 2 850301 1969 dispensingoperation. Upon the: actuation of a pushbutton, certaininstrumentalities in the apparatus are energized or released to (amongother things) select [52] U.S. Cl. ..137/l00,222/26, gearing in theapparatus appropriate to the grade [5]] Int Cl 6k 19/00 selected, resetthe counter or register to zero, set a control valve to a predeterminedposition and start up [58] Fleld of Search 722 the pump to cause thedispensing of fuel to begin. All of these functions are performedautomatically, i.e.,

. without any further human intervention, once the [56] References Citedpushbutton has been actuated. Upon the termination UNITED STATES E T ofthe actual glilspensing, etliectrical instrumentalities I are automaticy activate to carry out certain resetting operations, prior to the nextdispensing operation. The dispensing apparatus is particularly suitablefor a self-service type of operation.

4 Claims, 17 Drawing Figures PATENTEDBEE 12 m2 8 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORYOUNG FIG IO.

PATENTEU 2 I97? 3, 705 596 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIGB. a

EINAR TqouNG 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 EINAR T. %OUNG ATT v.

INVENTOR'.

PATENTED DEC 12 I972 8 Sheets-Sheet v Ava- ,549

FIGQ.

FIG. l6.

IIIIIII'IIIII:

I VENTORZ EINAR T YOUNG PATENTEDUEC 12 I972 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 FIGII.

INVENTORI EINAR I' YOUNG (4a. @J A A TY,

FIG. I5.

MOTOR FUEL DISPENSING APPARATUS This application is a division ofapplication Ser. No. 850,901, filed Aug. 18, 1969, US. Pat. No.3,587,337, dated June 28, 1971. I

This application relates to motor fuel dispensing apparatus, and moreparticularly to dispensing apparatus of the so-called multigrade type,wherein a plurality of different grades of fuel (each having a differentoctane rating) are selectively dispensed by a single apparatus. Thesevarious grades are provided by various blends of two fuel components ofdifferent octane ratings, and in addition by solely one component andsolely the other component. Thus, the number of grades usually is twogreater than the number of blends.

A typical example of a multigrade motor fuel dispensing apparatusaccording to the prior art is described in my US. Pat. No. 2,880,908,referred to hereinafter as the 908 patent. Dispensing apparatus builtaccording to the teachings of the 908 patent is now being used to aconsiderable extent in gasoline marketing operations, in servicestations. However, such apparatus, while easily manipulatable for thedispensing of motor fuel by a trained service station attendant, is toocomplicated for a self-service orunattended type of dispensingoperation, that is, for an operation wherein the customer operates thedispensing apparatus himself, for his own motor vehicle. Toparticularize, in the prior dispensing apparatus all of the controloperations, such as fuel grade selection, resetting of the counter orregister to zero, and turning the pump motor or motors on and off, mustbe performed manually through the actuation of various knobs or handles,some of which require considerable physical force to actuate. For fuelgrade selection, one handle must be actuated and held in this actuatedposition while a separate knob is rotated, all while watching anindicator. A separate control lever must be actuated to effect aresetting of the counter or register, while still another handle, whichcalls for considerable physical force to actuate, must be rotated in onedirection to turn the pump motor or motors on and in the oppositedirection to turn the pump motor or motors off. In addition, the priordispensing apparatus includes a manually-operated nozzle valve whichmust be opened in order to begin the actual dispensing.

The rather complicated control operations which are required for theprior dispensing apparatus render it unsuitable for a self-service typeof operation. Therefore, a fuel dispensing apparatus which is muchsimpler to operate would be very desirable, since there is now a trendtoward self-service in the industry. In addition to its use forself-service, such a simplified apparatus would be highly beneficialeven for attended operation.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel motor fuel dispensingapparatus.

Another object is to provide a novel motor fuel dispensing apparatus ofthe multigrade type.

A further object is to provide a multigrade motor fuel dispensingapparatus which is simple and convenient to manipulate. I

A still further object is to provide a-multigrade motor fuel dispensingapparatus wherein an. electric motor is employed to carry out certainresetting and adjustment actions required for each dispensing operation,thereby reducing to a substantial extent the manual, physicalmanipulative force utilized as compared to that utilized with priorapparatus.

Still another object is to provide an automated multigrade motor fueldispensing apparatus which operates to carry out the dispensingcompletely automatically, once a single (combined) grade selection andstart manipulation has been performed.

The objects of this invention are accomplished, briefly, in thefollowing manner: An array of pushbuttons is provided on each side ofthe housing of a multigrade motor fuel dispensing apparatus, onepushbutton for each grade to be dispensed. These pushbuttons carryindividual gearing for mechanically positioning a shaft, and alsoactuating means which causes closure of a pair of electrical contactswhen any one of the pushbuttons is actuated. If the dispensing nozzlehas been properly positioned in the fillpipe of the motor vehicle fueltank, the closure of the contacts results in the energization of a resetmotor and also of a solenoid which are included in the dispensingapparatus. These two electrical instrumentalities, when energized,effect an adjustment of selective gearing in the apparatus appropriateto the grade of motor fuel selected for dispensing, in accordance withthe position of the pushbutton-operated shaft, as well as an adjustmentof a blend control valve in the apparatus to an appropriate position,and cause the pushbutton which has been actuated to be mechanicallylocked in, and reset the counter or register to zero. After theadjustmentsand resetting have been completed, the motor brings aboutenergization of a relay which energizes the pump motor and starts thedispensing of the selected grade of motor fuel, and then shuts itselfoff.

When the dispensing operation is finished, the pump motor relay isalmost immediately deenergized (terminating the dispensing), and thereset motor is automatically reenergized and the solenoid isdeenergized, thereby to operate the blend control valve to an OFFposition, and then to reset the various mechanically-adjustable items totheir initial positions.

A detailed description of the invention follows, taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the liquid and mechanicalconnections involved in a preferred form of dispensing apparatusaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation, partly in section and with certain partsbroken away, of the dispensing apparatus of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a sectional plan view of the apparatus, as viewed along line3-3 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3, but taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating electrical circuitry employed in theapparatus;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of the operation of certaincam-operated switches;

FIG. 7 is a horizontal section, somewhat schematic, through the blendcontrol portion of the apparatus;

FIG. 8 is a cross-section through a portion of the dispensing apparatus,taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom view of the blend control portion of the apparatus,as viewed along line 9-9 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 10 is a vertical section of the apparatus, taken along line10-10-of FIG. 2;

FIG. '11 is a side elevation, partly in section, of the lower portion ofthe apparatus shown in FIG. 2, but illustrating another position of themechanism;

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line l212 of I FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is a vertical section taken on line l3-13 of FIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a fragmentary section, showing certain of the parts of FIG.13 in a different position;

FIG. 15 is a view similar to FIG. 14, but illustrating still anotherposition;

FIG. 16 is a section of a portion of the apparatus taken on line 16-16of FIG. 10, and drawn on an enlarged scale; and

FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating remote circuitry which can be usedwith the apparatus of the invention.

A brief description of the overall operation of the dispensing apparatuswill first be given, referring to FIG. 1. In this figure, liquidconnections between various elements are indicated by double lines (aspipes), mechanical connections utilized during the resetting andadjustment cycles are indicated by single dotted lines, while mechanicalconnections utilized during the actual dispensing operation areindicated by single solid lines. In this connection, it is noted thatthroughout the present description, the various resetting and adjustmentoperations that take place immediately prior to an actual dispensingoperation will be referred to as constituting an ON cycle, while thoseresetting operations that take place after the conclusion of adispensing operation (and prior to the start of a following ON" cycle)will be referred to as constituting an OF F cycle.

In FIG. 1, the apparatus housing indicated as 1 may be more or lessconventional, locked against unauthorized access, and provided withwindows and various operating devices (such as pushbuttons) accessiblefrom the outside of the housing, as will hereafter appear. Where anapparatus generally is referred to hereinafter, it will be understoodthat it is this housing and the parts contained therein and associatedtherewith, though in some cases (as will hereinafter appear) there maybe a remote unit associated with the apparatus. lNcluded in thedispensing apparatus is a lo gasoline pump 2 driven during dispensing bya pump motor 3 (for example, by means of a belt drive) and provided withan inlet connection 4 from a supply (storage) tank containing a 10 orrelatively low-octane gasoline (fuel) component. As usual, a bypass 5 isprovided containing a relief valve 6 to bypass the pump in the eventthat a blend control valve is closed. The gasoline to be dispensed flowsthrough connection 7 and a conventional 10 meter 8 and thence throughthe pipe connection 9 incorporating a check valve 10.

A pump 11 for the hi gasoline draws its supply of hi gasoline (ahigh-octane fuel or gasoline component) from a storage tank through pipeconnection 12. This pump 11 may be of the same type as the 10 pump 2 andis preferably driven by the same motor 3. Associated with it is a bypassl3 incorporating a relief valve 14.

The hi gasoline pump 11 delivers the hi gasoline through line 15 to thehi" meter 16 which may be of the type serving to meter the 10 gasoline.Delivery from the meter 16 takes place through piping 17 which includesthe check valve 18.

The lo and hi gasolines delivered, respectively, I

through lines 9 and 17, are respectively controlled by the lo and hisections of a blend control valve 19, to be further describedhereinafter. The 10 and hi" gasolines, as controlled by the 10" and hisections of the valve 19, are delivered through conduits 20 and 21,which are connected to passages through a hose to a nozzle, such as thenozzle disclosed in FIGS. 7 and 8 of my copending application, Ser. No.796,003, filed Feb. 3, 1969, which ripened on July 6, 1971, into US.Pat. No. 3,590,890. The hose passages are maintained separate,communicating with each other closely adjacent to the nozzle itself, sothat admixture of the two components cannot take place to anysubstantial degree so as to markedly change the composition dispensed.As disclosed in my said copending application, if, but only if, thenozzle is properly inserted into the fillpipe of a motor vehicle fueltank, electrical continuity is provided by the fill-pipe between a pairof spaced electrodes mounted on the nozzle, thus completing a conductingpath between such electrodes, one of which is grounded. This conductingpath will be further referred to hereinafter.

As disclosed in my aforesaid copending application, a triple-conduithose combination connects housing 1 to the nozzle mentioned. The thirdconduit 22 of this combination (being in addition to the conduits 20 and21) is utilized, during dispensing, for abstracting air and vapor fromthe fuel tank into which the nozzle is inserted. The housing end of thevapor conduit or hose 22 is connected to a vacuum pump 23 by way of atee fitting 24. The vacuum pump 23 is driven (as by way of a belt drive)during the actual dispensing by the pump motor 3, along with pumps 2 and11. A vacuum switch 25 is also connected to the tee 24, so as to beresponsive to the pressure in conduit 22. This vacuum switch, asdisclosed in my copending application, includes a pair of electricalcontacts which are opened in response to a full condition of the motorvehicle fuel tank. These contacts will be further referred tosubsequently. These contacts are mechanically held closed during aportion of the ON resetting and adjustment cycle, until the actualdispensing gets well under way, by means of a cam arrangementschematically indicated at 26 and described in detail hereinafter. Thiscam arrangement is also referred to in my copending application. It hasbeen stated previously that the vacuum pump 23 is used to abstract airand vapor from the fuel tank. (This pump also in a sense forms a portionof the automatic shutoff for a full fuel tank, since it establishes thepressure in conduit 22, to which vacuum switch 25 is responsive.) Theair and vapor (which together may be thought of as tank vapors)discharged from vacuum pump 23 is preferably conducted (by means of oneor more pipes, not shown) back to the underground storage tanks (fromwhich tanks connections are made at 4 and 12, respectively, to pumps 2and 11).

The 10 meter 8 provides one input 27 to a differential 28, the otherinput to which is provided at 29 from the hi meter 16. The output of thesummingtype differential 28 at 30 represents the sum of the twoquantities delivered by the two meters 8 and 16, and operates the totalgallons portion of the gallons and cost counter or register 31. Thissaid portion of the counter 31 is arranged to indicate the total gallonsdispensed during an operation, through a suitable window arrangement inthe apparatus housing 1'.

A second output from the differential 28, also corresponding to totalgallons, is delivered at 32 to a variator 33 in which is set the priceper gallon ascribed to the gasoline. The setting of this variator may bechanged by a manual operation from time to time, whenever the price ofthe lo gasoline changes; this setting is changed only by an authorizedperson, upon proper access to the interior of housing 1. This pricesetting is automatically exhibited through a window in the housing 1.The output 34 of variator 33 represents the total gallons of both lo andhi gasolines multiplied by the price of the lo gasoline.

A third output from the differential 28, also corresponding to totalgallons, is provided at 35 to a price increment unit (termed selectivegearing" in my 908 patent) indicated at 36, from which there is providedan output 37. The price increment unit 36 just mentioned is reset (i.e.,adjusted) during each ON resetting and adjustment cycle concurrentlywith, and in dependence upon, the adjustment for control of the grade offuel to be dispensed. The mechanical arrangement whereby this resettingis effected is indicated schematically at 38, and will be furtherreferred to hereinafter. As described in detail in my 908 patent, theprice increment unit 36 effects the multiplication of the total gallonsdispensed (at 35) by an amount according to the excess (or increment) ofthe price per gallon of a grade being dispensed over the price pergallon ascribed to the lo gasoline. The output from the price incrementunit delivered at 37 provides an input to a summing-type differential39, the other input to which is 34, the differential providing itsoutput at 4010 the total cost portion of the gallons and cost register31. This portion of the register 31 is arranged to exhibit through awindow in the apparatus housing 1 the total cost of the gasolinedispensed.

Another output at 41 from the lo" meter 8 provides an input to a 10"gear box 42, while a corresponding output at 43 from the hi meter 16provides an input to a hi gear box 44. The gear boxes 42 and 44 arereset (i.e., adjusted) during each ON resetting and adjustment cycle toadjust the control of the grade of fuel to be dispensed. The mechanicalarrangement whereby the lo gear box 42 is adjusted is indicatedschematically at 45, while the mechanical arrangement whereby the higear box 44 is adjusted is indicated schematically at 46. The lo and hi"gear boxes may together be thought of as comprising a blend controlunit.

The outputs of the 10 and hi" gear boxes at 47 and 48 drive asubtractive difi'erential 49, the output of which at 50 controlsconcurrently the relative positions of the 10 and hi sections of theblend control valve 19. For example, this control may be effected bymeans of a pair of shafts which are operated simultaneously to controlvalve shoes in the lo and hi sections of valve 19, as will be describedhereinafter. In brief, with particular settings of the lo gear box 42and'the hi gear box 44, if the meters 8 and 16 indicate a proper ratioof deliveries of lo and hi gasolines, the output at 50 is zero and doesnot affect the settings of the valve shoes in the two portions of valve19. On the other hand, if this correspondence does not exist, an outputat 50 adjusts the valve shoes to control the composition of thedelivered blend. At this juncture, it is desired to be pointed out thatfor the dispensing of solely the 10" gasoline or solely the hi gasoline,the gear boxes 42 and 44 and the differential 49 are in effect renderedinoperative and thus out of the picture. For the dispensing of the 10 orhi components separately, the blend control valve 19 is mechanicallyplaced in a predetermined corresponding position and is positivelymaintained in such position during the dispensing operation. This willall be described in somewhat more detail hereinafter.

Also operating on the shoes of valve 19 are two mechanical arrangementsindicated schematically at 51 and 52. The arrangement 51 is operated bya solenoid 53 and functions to bring the valve 19 to an open position atthe beginning of a dispensing cycle and to bring this valve to a closedposition at the end of the actual dispensing operation; this arrangementwill be described more in detail hereinafter. The arrangement 52 iscontrolled by a reset motor 54 during the ON and OFF resetting cyclesand functions to bring the valve 19 to certain predetermined positions;this arrangement will also be described in detail hereinafter.

The reset motor 54 also controls the mechanical arrangements 26, 38, 45,and 46 previously referred to, and also operates to reset the numberwheels of the register 31 to zero during the ON" resetting cycle,through a mechanical arrangement indicated schematically at 55. Inaddition, the motor 54 operates a group of cam-operated switches 56through a mechanical arrangement indicated schematically at 57. All ofthese mechanical arrangements will be described in detail hereinafter.

Refer now to FIGS. 2-4. A vertically-extending array or column ofoperating or grade selecting pushbuttons 58-65, which for conveniencemay be termed start" buttons, is provided at one side of the apparatushousing, in the upper portion thereof, these buttons extending throughrespective holes in a suitable escutcheon plate (not shown) and thusbeing accessible for operation from the exterior of the housing. Aduplicate array of pushbuttons 58'-65' is provided at the opposite sideof the housing, so that the dispensing apparatus may be operated orstarted from either side. The last-mentioned pushbuttons are locateddirectly opposite (across the housing) to the respective start buttons58-65. The apparatus housing :is generally frustopyramidal inconfiguration, so the arrays of pushbuttons 58-65 and 58'65, viewed fromthe side thereof as in FIG. 2, slope inwardly from bottom to top, asshown.

The start buttons 58-65 and 58-65', being arranged for grade selection,each correspond in number to the number of grades of motor fuel whichthe dispensing apparatus is capable of dispensing, there being onebutton (on each side of the housing) for each respective grade of fuel.Assume, for purposes of illustration, that the dispensing apparatus iscapable of dispensing any one of eight grades of motor fuel; thus, thereare eight start buttons 58-65 on one side of the housing, and eightstart buttons 58'-65' on the opposite side of the housing. Each of thesebuttons carries, on its outer end, individual indicia (such as anarbitrarily-assigned number) corresponding to a respective grade ofmotor fuel. By way of example only, these numbers may be respectively asfollows, beginning with button 58 and proceeding in order to button 65:I90, 200, 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260. Button 58 may correspond tosolely lo gasoline, and button 65 to solely hi gasoline, the remainingbuttons corresponding to blends of 10" and hi gasolines.

Each of the start buttons 58-65 is mounted for individual slidingmovement in a direction inwardly and outwardly of the apparatus housing,by means of an individual shank such as 66 (FIG. 3) secured to eachrespective pushbutton. The inner end of each shank is slidably mountedin a respective aperture provided in the base of a channel-shapedsupport 67 secured to the apparatus housing and extending somewhatvertically, parallel to the array of pushbuttons. Each start button isbiased outwardly by a separate coiled spring such as 79 which surroundsthe respective shank 66, one end of the spring bearing against the baseof support 67 and the other end thereof bearing against the inner end ofthe respective pushbutton.

The shank of each of the pushbuttons 58-65 carries linear or rack-likegear teeth such as illustrated at 68 (FIG. 3). Each of these pushbuttonshanks has a different number of teeth, as follows: pushbutton 58, eightteeth; pushbutton 59, seven teeth; pushbutton 60, six teeth; pushbutton61, five teeth; pushbutton 62, four teeth; pushbutton 63, three teeth;pushbutton 64, two teeth; pushbutton 65, one tooth.

It is again pointed out that all of the structure so far described (atone side of the housing) is duplicated at the opposite side of thehousing. There is a pushbutton (in the array 58-65' at the opposite sideof the housing) exactly corresponding to each respective one of thepushbuttons 58-65, and the former carry rack-like teeth corresponding tothose carried by the latter, the least number of teeth being carried bythe uppermost pushbutton 65' and the greatest number of teeth beingcarried by the lowermost pushbutton 58. The duplicated structure at theopposite side of the housing is denoted by the same reference numerals,but carrying prime designations.

A shaft 69, the axis of which extends more or less vertically andparallel to the support 67, is journaled for rotation in a pair of fixedbearings 70 secured to the base of support 67. Fixedly secured to shaft69 are eight sector gears 71 (one for each of the pushbuttons 58-65)which are all exactly alike (they may each have ten teeth, for example)and which are adapted to mesh with the rack-like gear teeth carried bythe respective pushbuttons. Each of the sector gears 71 is so located asto mesh with a corresponding one of the pushbuttoncarried rack gears,when such pushbutton is pushed inwardly. To make this possible, the axisof shaft 69 is laterally offset from the center lines of the pushbuttonshanks (see FIG. 3). Since the number of teeth carried by each of thepushbuttons is different, when a certain one of the buttons 5865 isdepressed, the shaft 69 will be geardriven through an angle dependingupon and uniquely detemiined by which one of these buttons is sodepressed or actuated.

A similar shaft 69' is journaled for rotation at the opposite side ofthe housing, in bearings 70'. This latter shaft carries eight sectorgears 71 which are exactly like gears 71 and which are adapted to meshwith the rack-like gear teeth carried by the respective pushbuttons58'65 at this opposite side of the housing. When a certain one of thestart buttons 5865 is depressed, the shaft 69' will be gear-driventhrough an angle depending upon and uniquely determined by which one ofthese latter buttons is so depressed or actuated. The gear ratiosbetween the shaft 69' and the array 0 start pushbuttons 58'65' at thecorresponding side of the housing are exactly similar to those betweenthe shaft 69 and the array of start buttons 58-65. Thus, when aparticular one of the-start buttons 58'65 is depressed, the shaft 69'will be rotated through a certain angle which is exactly the same as theangle through which shaft 69 is rotated when the matching pushbutton onthe first-mentioned side of the housing is depressed.

In order to lock the shafts 69 and 69' together, a crank plate 72 (seeFIG. 4) is pinned at one end to the upper end of shaft 69', and a crankplate 73 is pinned centrally to the upper end of shaft 69. A rigid linkmember 74 is pivotally secured at one end to the other end of crank 72,and is pivotally secured at its other end to one of the ends of crank73. It may be seen that the link and crank arrangement just describedpositively locks the two shafts 69 and 69' together. A coiled spring 75,one end of which is attached to link 74 and the other end of which isattached to crank 73, tends to return the crank 73 to the OFF positionillustrated in FIG. 4.

The end of crank 73 opposite to link 74 has therein a plurality of holes76 equal in number to the number of grades of motor fuel to be dispensed(in accordance with what has been previously stated, eight holes areillustrated), these holes being equally spaced along the circumferenceof a circle centered on the axis of shaft 69. A thin locking plate 77,slightly flexible in the direction of its thickness, which carries anupstanding pin 78 at one end thereof, is secured at its opposite end tothe side of support 67, in such a position that the pin 78 can enter anyone of the holes 76. Plate 77 is positioned below crank 73 and isarranged so that in its released position the pin 78 will enter one ofthe holes 76 (if such hole has been rotated into vertical alignment withthis pin). Plate 77 is normally (which is to say, in the OFF position,between dispensing operations) held downwardly (in such a position thatthe crank 73 can rotate freely thereabove, without interference by pin78) by a downwardly-depending pin attached to one end extension 80 of asomewhat T- shaped pivoted arm 81 which will be further referred tohereinafter. Arm 81 is rotatably mounted on a fixed pivot pin 224.

As previously described, when one of the start" buttons 58-65 isactuated, the shaft 69 (and also, incidentally, the shaft 69, throughlink 74) will be rotated to an angular position which depends on theparticular button actuated. Of course, if one of the buttons 58'65 isactuated, shaft 69 is caused to rotate through the operation of shaft69' and link 74. As shaft 69 rotates, the crank 73 pinned thereto alsorotates (in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 4), bringing one ofthe holes 76 into vertical alignment with pin 78. The particular hole 76which is brought into alignment with pin 78 will depend on the amount ofangular rotation of shaft 69. When the pushbutton being actuated hasreached the limit of its travel (bringing shaft 69 to the appropriateangular position), the solenoid 53 (see FIG. 2) is energized, as will besubsequently described. Solenoid 53 is mounted above the apparatushousing 1 in a suitable manner, and the plunger of this solenoid ispivotally attached to the upper end of a rigid link member 225 whichextends through an aperture into the housing, the lower end of link 225being pivotally attached at 226 to the end of arm 81 adjacent extension80. When solenoid 53 is energized, link member 225 moves verticallyupwardly from the position shown. This causes the end extension 80 of am81 to move upwardly, away from plate 77. This action releases plate 77so that its pin 78 enters the particular one of holes 76 which is thenvertically aligned therewith. Since the plate 77 is rigid in thedirection of its length, this pro vides a locking effect, whichmechanically locks the shaft 69 in its rotated or adjusted (ON) angularposition. Therefore, that one of the sector gears 71 (or 71) which isthen in mesh with the rack teeth of the actuated pushbutton holds suchpushbutton in the depressed or actuated position during the dispensingoperation, even though this pushbutton has been manually released afterbeing manually actuated. This arrangement provides a mechanical lock,which locks in" the particular pushbutton which has been actuated,during the dispensing operation which occurs upon its actuation.

At the conclusion of the dispensing operation, as will be described,solenoid 53 is deenergized, which allows the end extension 80 of arm 81to be pulled downwardly by a spring (hereafter described), along withthe link 225, causing plate 77 to be pushed downwardly and its pin 78 tobe pushed out of the hole 76 into which it had previously entered. Crank73 and shafts 69 and 69 then return to the OFF position illustrated inFIG. 4 under the urging of spring 75, and the actuated pushbutton isreleased for return to its outward or unactuated position, under theurging of its respective spring 79.

A stop plate 82, seen in face view in FIG. 3, is fixedly secured to thelower end of shaft 69, so as to rotate therewith. Plate 82 has aplurality of stepped projec' tions 83 on its outer periphery, equal innumber to the number of grades of motor fuel to be dispensed (in ourexample, this would be eight), providing eight abutments on theperiphery of this plate which are located at different radial distancesfrom the axis of shaft 69, these radial distances constituting a steppedor orderly progression (in a clockwise direction in FIG. 3) from theminimum radial distance (corresponding to start button 65) to themaximum radial distance (corresponding to start button 58). In thisconnection, it may be noted that buttons 65 and 65' stand for solely thehi gasoline, buttons 58 and 58 stand for solely the lo gasoline, whilethe intermediate buttons stand for different blends of the and higasolines or gasoline components. The array of pushbuttons is or derly,with buttons 64 and 64 denoting the highest-octane one of the sixblends, and buttons 59 and 59' the the lowest-octane one of the sixblends. Since buttons 58 and 58' carry eight teeth, while buttons 65 and65' carry one tooth, it may be noted that the actuation of one of theformer causes a maximum angular rotation of shaft 69 and of stop plate82, from the position illustrated in FIG. 3, while the actuation of oneof the latter causes a minimum angular rotation of stop plate 82, fromthis same position. The rotation of shaft 69 (or shaft 69') to anangular position determined by the particular pushbutton which isdepressed, brings stop plate 82 to a corresponding angular position,such that a particular one of the projections 83 is brought to aposition wherein it can control or govern the amount of angular rotationof a cooperating member 114 which will be described hereinafter.

A resilient, U-shaped contact member84, insulated from ground or themetallic elements such as support 67, and a similar insulated contactmember 84' are each insulatingly mounted within a respective one of thechannel-shaped supports 67 and 67', as by means of a bolt 85 whichextends through the member 84, through a washer 86 of electricalinsulating material, through an enlarged hole in the support, andthrough another washer 87 of electrical insulating material on theoutside of the support. A common electrical connection is made to thebolts 85, the two bolts 85 being directly connected together. Thecontact member 84, and the duplicate contact member 84' on the oppositeside of the housing, are positioned. within the respective supports 67and 67 as illustrated in FIG. 3, and are arranged to be engagedrespectively by grounded U shaped bars 88 or 88'. Each of these barsextends for most of the length of supports 67 and 67 so that they willcooperate with all pushbuttons in the respective supports. That is tosay, when any one of the pushbuttons is depressed the grounded bar onthat side is caused to come into contact with the insulated contactmember on the same side of the housing. This will result in thegrounding of the corresponding insulated contact member. Each foot 89and 89' of the U-shaped bar 88 or 88' is flexibly attached as by abolted hingelike strap to the respective support such as 67. As thepushbutton is depressed or actuated, its base comes into engagement withthe bar 88 or 88' and swings this bar inwardly to bring it into contactwith the appropriate insulated contact member 84 or 84, thus groundingthis insulated contact. The arrangement is such that the contact betweenmembers 88 or 88' and 84 or 84' is made subsequently to the actuation ofshaft 69 or 69 by the actuated pushbutton, and just prior to thereaching of the extreme limit of travel (inwardly) by the pushbutton.Thus, each time a pushbutton is actuated, one or the other of the twoinsulated contacts 84 or 84' (one of which contacts is at eachrespective side of the apparatus housing) is grounded.

Refer now to the circuit diagram of FIG. 5. A lowvoltage alternatingcurrent (25 volts, for example) is supplied to a pair of buses 91 and 92by means of a stepdown transformer 93 whose primary is connected to theac. supply terminals 94 and 94' (these terminals comprising one ll5-voltside of a three-wire a.c. supply, terminal 94 being one line terminal,terminal 94' being a neutral terminal, and terminal 94' being the otherline terminal) through a cam-operated switch 95 which is closed prior tothe start of each dispensing operation, and is so illustrated. It may benoted here that the cam operator for switch 95 is driven mechanically bythe reset motor 54.

The nozzle associated with the dispensing apparatus (and to which thehose or conduits 20- 22, FIG. l, are

connected) carries a pair of spaced electrodes 96 and 97, as disclosedin my previously mentioned copending application. As described in mysaid application, one of these electrodes is insulated from ground; thiselectrode 96 is connected to bus 91. The other electrode 97 is grounded,and when the nozzle is properly inserted into the fillpipe of a motorvehicle fuel tank, the metal fillpipe schematically illustrated at 98forms a conducting path between the electrodes 96 and 97, all asdescribed in my said copending application. It will be assumed that thenozzle has been properly positioned in the fillpipe prior to theactuation of one of the start buttons, so that electrode 96 is connectedelectrically to the grounded electrode 97.

The contact 99 represents bar 88 on one side of the apparatus housing,while the contact 100 represents bar 88 on the opposite side of thehousing. As previously described, when any one of the buttons isactuated, either the insulated contact 84 or the insulated contact 84 isgrounded. These insulated contacts (by way of bolts 85) are connectedtogether as at 188 and through the closed contacts of a pair ofemergency stop switches (panic buttons) 101 and 102 (pushbutton,spring-biased, normally closed, push to open, these two switches beingon respective opposite sides of the apparatus housing and beingaccessible from the outside of the housing) to one contact 103 of avacuum-operated single-pole, single-throw switch 25. This latter switchmay be constructed, for example, as disclosed in my said copendingapplication, and is mechanically caused to close by a cam (as will bedescribed subsequently) prior to the beginning of each dispensingoperation. It is therefore shown as closed in FIG. 5. It may be notedhere that the cam just mentioned is driven mechanically by the resetmotor 54.

The other contact 105 of switch 25 is connected through a pair ofresistors 106 and 107 and then through the operating winding of a relay108 to the bus when one of the start buttons is actuated, it may be seenthat a circuit is completed between buses 91 and 92 through the windingof relay 108 (provided, of

7 course, that the dispensing nozzle has been properly positioned in thefillpipe). This energizes relay 108. The a.c. supply terminal 94 isconnected directly to the reset motor 54. When relay 108 is energized, apair of relay contacts 109 are closed to connect the a.c. terminal 94 toone of the movable contacts 110 of a single-pole, double-throwcam-operated switch 111. The cam operator for switch 111 is also drivenmechanically by the reset motor 54, and the movable arm of this switchis closed on contact 110, as illustrated, prior to the beginning of eachdispensing operation. Thus, when relay 108 is energized (in response toactuation of one of the "start buttons), a circuit is completed from thea.c. supply terminals 94 and 94' to reset motor 54, energizing thismotor.

The reset motor 54 is one of the electrical instrumentalities employedto bring about the ON resetting and adjustment cycle of the dispensingapparatus. Refer now to FIG. 6, which diagrammatically illustrates themode of operation of various cam-operated switches (some in the group56, FIG. 1) operated by the reset motor 54. The cams which operate theseswitches are mounted on a shaft driven by motor 54 through suitablegearing indicated at 57 in FIG. 1. The various arcs illustrated in FIG.6, with respect to the center 112, represent the angles through whichthe cams actuate the switches, referred to the vertical line extendingupwardly from center 112, which line represents the beginning of the ONresetting and adjustment cycle. This line is denoted by OFF, since itrepresents conditions at the end of the OFF cycle, as well as at thevery beginning of the,ON cycle. The entire'figure represents onecomplete or 360 rotation of the shaft on which the cams are mounted.

The arc indicated by A represents the operation of the switch 111. Thisswitch is closed on its contact 110 (by a previous rotation of thecamshaft) slightly prior to the reaching of the OFF position orupwardlyextending vertical line, and remains closed on this contact forabout 25 more of the camshaft rotation; throughout the remainder of the360 of camshaft rotation this switch is closed on its other contact 113.Thus, after about 25 of camshaft rotation from OFF (during the ON cycle)the contact 110 is opened and the motor energization circuit previouslydescribed is opened.

However, the motor 54 is maintained energized for substantially 180 ofcamshaft rotation (from OFF by means of a cam-operated switch 104 whosesinglepole, single-throw contacts are connected directly in a seriescircuit with motor 54 across the a.c. supply terminals 94 and 94. Thearc indicated by B represents the operation of switch 104. Switch 104 isclosed by its cam at about 8 after the beginning of the ON cycle (the ONcycle beginning at the upwardly extending vertical line in FIG. 6, andproceeding in the direction of the clockwise arrow denoted by G), andremains closed throughout substantially all of the remainder of the 180of the ON cycle, that is, substantially until the downwardly-extendingvertical line designated ON in FIG. 6 is reached. This last-mentionedline represents the completion of the ON cycle, which coincides incamshaft position, but not in time, with the beginning of the followingOFF cycle. Thus, the reset motor 54 is maintained energized (by switch104) until the substantial completion of the ON" cycle, even though theoriginal energization circuit for this motor (through contact 110) isopened at about 25 of camshaft rotation following the beginning of theON cycle. It may be mentioned here, in passing, that the arc B indicatesthat switch 104 is also closed throughout substantially all of thefollowing OFF cycle; this will be further referred to later.

The arc denoted by D represents the operation of switch 95. Switch isclosed by its cam (by a previous rotation of the camshaft) slightlyprior to the reaching of the OFF position, and remains closed throughoutthe ON cycle, and also for a few degrees of rotation in the followingOFF cycle.

The are denoted by E represents the operation of the cam whichmechanically causes the contacts 103 and of vacuum switch 25 to close.The contacts of this vacuum switch are mechanically caused to close (bya previous rotation of the camshaft) slightly prior to the reaching ofthe OFF position, and are mechanically released just prior to thetermination of the ON cycle. The operation of other cam-operatedswitches depicted in FIG. 6 will be described hereinafter.

From the above, it may be seen that the reset motor 54, uponenergization thereof in response to actuation of one of the startbuttons 58-65 or 5865 is maintained energized until it has causedrotation of the camshaft through substantially 180, then it is shut offor deenergized by the opening of switch 104 (see are B in FIG. 6). Thismotor is provided with a brake which causes its output shaft to stoprotating immediately upon deenergization of the motor. Thus, the motoris made to stop exactly when the camshaft has reached the positionrepresented by the downwardly-extending vertical line designated ON inFIG. 6. This line denotes the completion of the ON cycle.

A positioning and adjusting member 114, which is somewhat disc-shapedwhen seen in end view as in FIG. 2, is pinned to the outer end of ashaft 115 which is suitably journaled for rotation in a fixed supportingplate 116 (FIG. 8). Along a portion of the edge thereof, and extendingover say 80 of its circumference, member 114 has a plurality of steppedprojections 117, equal in number to the number of grades of motor fuelto be dispensed (in the example, this would be eight), providing eightabutments along the periphery of member 114 which are located atdifferent axial distances (measured parallel to the axis of shaft 115)from a reference plane transverse to the axis of shaft 115. That is tosay, this portion of the edge of member 114 may be thought of as forminga stepped cylindrical wall. If it be assumed that the reference planepreviously mentioned coincides with the extreme outer end of member 114in FIG. 3, the axial distances of the stepped projections 117 from thisreference plane constitute an orderly progression from the minimum axialdistance (corresponding to solely the lo gasoline component) to themaximum axial distance (corresponding to solely the hi" gasolinecomponent).

The axes of shafts 115 and 69 lie at substantially 90 to each other, andthe projections 117 provided on member 114 are arranged to cooperatewith the projections on stop plate 82 in such a manner that, when member114 is free to rotate in the counterclockwise or ON" direction in FIG.2, it will rotate to an angular position uniquely determined by theangular position to which stop plate 82 has been rotated by shaft 69.That is to say, member 114, when it is free to rotate in thecounterclockwise direction in FIG. 2, will be caused to stop at aselected one of eight angular positions, the selection being made independence upon the particular one of the start buttons 58-65 or 58'65'which has been actuated (and the consequent angular position of stopplate 82). A coiled tension spring 118, which is rather strong, providesthe motive force for driving member 114 in the counterclockwise or ONdirection in FIG. 2. One end of this spring is attached to .anoutstanding eccentric pin 119 secured to member 114, and the other endis attached to a pin 120 which also secures one end of a diagonallyextending brace 121 to the support 67. The other end of brace 121 issecured to support 67. A similar diagonally extending brace 1210 issecured at its ends respectively to supports 67 and 67. The braces 121and 121a together form an X-shaped configuration. Spring 118 acts tourge the member 114 to rotate in the counterclockwise or ON direction inFIG. 2, to move the projections 117 toward the stop plate 82.

' Refer now to FIGS. 7-9, which illustrate the 10" and hi gear boxes 42and 44, respectively, together with mechanical connections such as and46 for resetting the same, that is, for adjusting the same to variousselected positions. These gear boxes constitute an essential part of theblend control unit or portion of the dispensing apparatus. The shaftcoupling 41 (FIGS. 1 and 8) is driven through suitable gearing from theoutput of 10 meter 8 and corresponds to gallons of lo" gasoline. A shaft122, which may be integral with the shaft coupling 41, has securedthereto a cone gear 123. Similarly, the shaft coupling 43 (FIG. 1) isdriven through suitable gearing from the output of hi" meter 16 andcorresponds to gallons of hi gasoline. A shaft 124 (FIG. 7), which maybe integral with the shaft coupling 43, has secured thereto a cone gear125. Since the 10 gear box 42 and the hi gear box 44 are essentiallysimilar, only the 10 gear box will be described in detail, in connectionwith FIG. 8, reference being made to elements of the hi gear box, whennecessary, to complete the disclosure.

Each of the cone gears 123 and 125 comprises six spur gears arrangedeach in a separate level, for a total of six levels. The two cone gears123 and 125 are identical, but they are disposed oppositely, that is,they are disposed in parallel but inverted relation with respect to eachother. They are so disposed that the levels of the two gears arerespectively aligned with each other, reference being made here to ahorizontal alignment. By way of example, the numbers of teeth in thevarious levels of gear 123 are, reading from top to bottom in FIG. 8, asfollows: eight teeth, 16 teeth, 24 teeth, 32 teeth, 40 teeth, and 48teeth.

The shafts 122 and 124 are journaled for rotation by bearings providedin the supporting plate 116 and in a lower supporting plate 126. Arocker shaft 127 is journaled for rotation at its upper and lower ends,respectively, in plates 116 and 126. Rotatably carried by shaft 127 aresix vertically arranged pairs of mounting plates 128 (one pair of platesfor each of the levels of cone gear 123), of more or less triangularshape seen in plan as in FIG. 7, these plates being carried by shaft 127ad- 45 jacent one of the three vertices of the triangle. Each pair ofplates 128 carries, adjacent another of its three vertices, a respectiveidler gear 1.29, one such gear for each of the levels of cone gear 123.Each of the idler gears is journaled for rotation in suitable bearingsprovided in the two individual plates of its respective pair of plates128. All of the idler gears 129 are identical, and each is adapted to beswung into and out of mesh with its corresponding spur gear (or level)of cone gear 123.

A separate banjo-shaped member 130 is positioned between each respectivepair of plates 128, the large end of each of these members 130 beingpinned to shaft 127. A fixed pin 131, whose two ends are fixed in therespective plates 128, is mounted between each respective pair of plates128, in such a. location as to be en gaged by one side of the straightor neck" portion of the respective banjo member 131). A wishbone-shapedspring 132 is positioned between each respective pair of plates 128, oneend portion of this spring engaging the neck of the banjo member 130, onthe opposite side thereof from pin 131, and the other end portion ofthis spring being wrapped around a respective fixed pin 133 (similar topin 131) whose two ends are fixed in the respective plates 128. Pin 131is located near one side of its (somewhat triangular) respective plates128, while pin 133 is located near another side of its respective plates128.

In the hi gear box, the elements 127-133 previously described areduplicated, being denoted in this latter gear box by the same referencenumerals but carrying prime designations. Each of the idler gears 129'in the hi gear box is adapted to mesh with a corresponding spur gear (orlevel) of cone gear 125.

The elements 127-128 and 130-133 together comprise a gear throw-out," byoperation of which the idler gears 129 may be brought into and out ofmesh with cone gear 123 and pinion gear 134. Elements 127'-128' and130133 comprise a similar gear throw-out" for the hi gear box, byoperation of which the idler gears 129' may be brought into and out ofmesh with cone gear 125 and pinion gear 134. For convenience ofillustration only, in FIG. 7 a lo idler gear 129 is shown out of meshwith cone gear 123 and pinion gear 134, while 21 hi idler gear 129' isshown in mesh with cone gear 125 and pinion gear 134'; it is desired tobe pointed out, however, that these conditions will never occur inactual practice during dispensing, which is to say that in actualpractice, either both, or neither, of (a selected one of) the idlergears 129 and 129' will be in mesh with the respective cone and piniongears, during dispensing.

Each idler gear 129 in the lo gear box, in addition to meshing with itscorresponding one of the individual gears in cone gear 123, is adaptedto mesh with an elongated pinion gear 134 (having a vertical lengthabout equal to the combined vertical lengths of the six levels of conegear 123) which is pinned to a shaft 135 journaled for rotation inplates 116 and 126. Each idler gear 129' in the hi gear box, in additionto meshing with its corresponding one of the individual gears in conegear 125, is adapted to mesh with a similar pinion gear 134' which ispinned to a shaft 135.

The shafts 135 and 135 constitute the mechanical connections 47 and 48,respectively (FIG. 1), which couple the outputs of gear boxes 42 and 44,respective-' ly, to the subtractive differential 49. This subtractivedifferential is preferably constructed and arranged as disclosed in myUS. Pat. No. 2,977,970, referred to hereinafter as the 970 patent. Thissubtractive differential will not be described in detail herein, sinceit is fully and completely disclosed in my 970 patent. The principle ofoperation, however, may be described as follows. The 10" gear box 42 maybe thought of as including cone gear 123, a selected one of the idlergears 129, and pinion 134, while the hi gear box 44 may be thought of asincluding cone gear 125, a selected one of the idler gears 129, andpinion 134. The settings of the gear boxes 42 and 44 (i.e., theparticular levels of the gear cones with which the corresponding idlergears are in mesh) determine the relative flows which would be requiredto maintain at zero the output 50 of differential 49 to hold the twosections of valve 19in fixed relative position. If the rate of flow ofhi gasoline relative to lo gasoline (assuming that a mixture or blend ofliquids is being dispensed) exceeds the predetermined ratio, thedifferential 49 will have an output of such direction as to move thevalve shoe in the hi section of valve 19 toward closed position and thevalve shoe in the lo section of valve 19 toward open position. Theresult is readjustment of the individual flows to a ratio predeterminedby the gear box settings and resulting in zero output from differential49. If the 10 flow is in excess, a reverse output from the differential49 occurs, resulting in correction of the ratio of the flows.

The output 50 of the subtractive differential 49 is provided in anoutput gear 137 which meshes with a sector gear 138 carried by one endof a rigid lever 138 pivotally mounted at 140 to the frame and having adog configuration 141 at the other end of the lever. The dog 141, movingback and forth (about pivot 140) as the output of differential 49 variesfrom zero, effects a mechanical control adjustment of the blend controlvalve 19, as will appear hereinafter.

It is here noted that all of the foregoing description of the operationof differential 49 has assumed that a mixture of liquids is beingdispensed, which means that a selected one of the idler gears 129 is inmesh with a corresponding spur gear (in a particular level) of the conegear 123, and a selected one of the idler gears 129 is in mesh with acorresponding spur gear (in the same level) of the cone gear 125. Forthe dispensing of either hi or 10 gasoline, alone, the differential 49is in effect inoperative, as will hereinafter appear.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 10, reset motor 54 (illustratedschematically in FIG. 10) is mounted on top of the apparatus housing 1.This motor, when energized in the manner previously described, drives,through a small gear 142 pinned to its output shaft, a larger gear 143which is secured to a camshaft 144 to be later described. Gear 143, inturn, drives a gear 145 (having the same number of teeth as gear 143)which is located inside the apparatus housing. Gear 145 is pinned to oneend of a stub shaft 146 which may be thought of as a motor-driven shaft.The hub end of a crank 147 is pinned to the other end of themotor-driven shaft 146, and a crank pin 148 at the radially outer oreccentric end of crank 147 is pivotally connected to one end of a rigidlink member 149 which extends in a generally downward direction andwhose opposite or lower end is pivotally connected to one outer end of abifurcated plate 150. At its base, the plate 150 is attached to a stubshaft 151 which is pinned to a counter reset shaft (referred tohereinafter). The stub shaft 151 may be thought of hereinafter as itselfcomprising the counter reset shaft. Shaft 151 is journaled for rotationin the cross braces 121 and 121a, at the point of intersection oroverlap of these two braces. Shaft 146 operates at the same speed ascamshaft 144.

One end of a rigid link member 152 is pivotally connected to the otherouter end of plate 150, and the other end of this link member ispivotally attached to one end of an L-shaped lever 153 which isrotatably supported at its base by means of a fixed pin 154. Alsorotatably supported on pin 154 is a wing plate 155, which carries at oneside a sector gear 156 and at its other side (more or less diametricallyopposite to gear 156) another sector gear 157. The wing plate hasthereon an integral outwardly extending leg 158 which is adapted toengage the side edge of that leg of lever 153 to which link 152 iscoupled.

During the ON cycle (180 of rotation of shaft 146), the reset motor 54,through the various linkages described, drives the plate 150 in thedirection indicated by the ON arrowhead on are 159, and the arrangementis such that during this cycle the center of the lower end of link 152(that is, the end of this link which is coupled to lever 153) travelsthrough an arc of 90 about the center of pin 154.

The sector gear 156 meshes with a sector gear 160 which is formedintegrally on member 114, approximately diametrically opposite theprojections 117. Thus, when member 114 rotates in the ON direction(counterclockwise in FIG. 2), it can drive plate 155 (by way of thegearing 156, 160) in the ON direction (clockwise in FIG. 2). Aspreviously stated, member 114 is caused to rotate in the ON" directionby the force exerted on it by spring 118. The various elements areillustrated in the OFF position in FIG. 2.

A rearwardly extending pin 161 is secured to that end of lever 153 whichis opposite to link 152. A crank 162, secured to the outer end of aprice increment unit locking shaft 163 and adapted to rotate about theaxis of such shaft, has a radially outwardly extending portion whichlies in the path of pin 161, as lever 153 is rotated by the reset motor.A tension spring 164, one end of which is tied to a fixed pin 165 andthe other end of which is tied to the previously mentioned portion ofcrank 162, tends to maintain the crank 162 in the OFF positionillustrated in FIG. 2. When the lever 153 is rotated by the reset motor154 in the ON direction (which is clockwise in FIG. 2), pin 161 willengage crank 162 and rotate it in the clockwise direction, about itspivot point 163, in opposition to the bias of spring 164.

One end of a rigid link member 166 is pivotally connected to crank 162at an eccentric location, and the opposite end of this link is pivotallyconnected to one end of a lever 167 (see FIG. 3) which is pinned at itscentral point to the upper end of the gear box rocker shaft 127 (seealso FIG. 8). At its other end, arm 167 carries a pin 168 which fitsbetween the two arms provided by the bifurcated end of an arm 169 pinnedto the upper end of the hi gear box rocker shaft 127'.

The arrangement is such that, during the ON cycle, when pin 161 engagescrank 162 and causes it to rotate in the clockwise direction in FIG. 2,the link 166 rotates lever 167 to cause a rotation of shaft 127 in theclockwise direction in FIG. 7, and a rotation of lever 169 (by way ofpin 168) to cause a rotation of shaft 127' in the counter-clockwisedirection in FIG. 7.

The spring 164 ordinarily (which is to say during the interval betweensuccessive dispensing operations) maintains the crank 162 in such aposition that both of the rocker shafts 127 and 127 are brought to theposition exemplified by the shaft 127 in FIG. 7, that is, to a positionwherein all of the idler gears 129 and 129' are out of mesh with therespective cone gears 123 and 125 and also out of mesh with therespective pinions 134 and 134'. Also, during the OFF resetting andadjustment cycle (which takes place following the completion of anactual dispensing operation, as will later become apparent) the spring164 rotates crank 162 in such a direction as to cause rotation of rockershaft 127 in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7 and to causerotation of rocker shaft 127 in the clockwise direction in FIG. 7. TheON position for shaft 127' being illustrated in the upper portion ofFIG. 7 (wherein the illustrated one of the idler gears 129' is in meshwith cone gear and with pinion 134'), the rotation of rocker shaft 127in the clockwise direction (during the OFF cycle) causes all of thebanjo members 130' to engage their fixed pins 131' to swing all of themounting plates 128' clockwise from the position illustrated, moving allof the idler gears 129' out of mesh with the cone gear 125 and with thepinion 134'. No net force is exerted at this time by wishbone spring132', since one of its ends is attached to the pin 133' (attached to andmoving with plate 128), and the other of its ends bears against banjomember 130', which is in firm engagement with the pin 131 (also attachedto and moving with plate 128').

Similar action takes place during the OFF cycle for the 10 gear box,when rocker shaft 127 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction inFIG. 7. Summarizing the operation so far described of the gear throw-outarrangement for the 10 and hi gear boxes, it may be seen that all of theidler gears 129 and 129' are moved out of mesh with their correspondingcone gears 123 and 125 and pinions 134 and 134' during the OFF cycle, bythe force of spring 164 acting through the crank 162 and linkage 166,etc., and are maintained out of mesh, until the next ON cycle, by thissame spring. It remains to be explained how a selected one of the gears129 and a selected one of the gears 129' (or alternatively, none ofthese gears) are brought into mesh with the cone gears and pinionsduring the ON cycle.

Refer again to FIGS. 7 and 8. A vertically extending supporting shaft ismounted between the fixed supporting plates 116 and 126. Joumaled on theshaft 170 are two spaced stirrup members 171 between which is mounted anarcuate plate 172 (for the lo gear box) provided with six helicallyarranged apertures 173, one such aperture for each of the levels of conegear 123. One of the two individual plates of each pair of mountingplates 128 (it will be remembered that there are a total of six pairs ofsuch plates, each pair carrying an idler gear 129) is provided with aprojecting tab 174 which is adapted to enter a corresponding one of theapertures 173, and can enter such aperture if the plate 172 has beenrotated to a position wherein the aperture 173 is in alignment with thetab. That is to say, a selected one of the six tabs 174 can enter itsaperture 173, the selection depending upon the angular position to whicharcuate plate 172 has been rotated.

Also joumaled on the shaft 170 are two spaced stirrup members 175between which is mounted an arcuate plate 176 (for the hi gear box)similar to plate 172 and also provided with six helically arrangedapertures 177, one such aperture for each of the levels of cone gear125. One of the two individual plates of each pair of mounting plates128' (it will be remembered that there are a total of six pairs of suchplates, each pair carrying a separate idler gear 129) is provided with aprojecting tab 178 which is adapted to enter a corresponding one of theapertures 177 as illustrated in FIG. 7, and will enter such aperture ifthe arcuate plate 176 has been rotated to a position wherein theaperture 177 is in alignment with the tab. The particular one of the sixtabs 178 which enters its aperture depends upon the angular position towhich arcuate plate 176 has been rotated.

When one of the tabs 178 enters its aperture 177 (as illustrated in theupper portion of FIG. 7), the idler gear 129' associated with thatparticular tab (that is, the idler gear which is carried by thatparticular plate 128') is brought into mesh with the cone gear 125 andwith the pinion 134'. The same is true for one of the tabs such as 174in the 10 gear box. If, on the other hand, the apertures in arcuateplates 172 and 176 are not in alignment with the tabs (which conditionis in effect illustrated in the lower portion of FIG. 7), the idlergears associated with all of these latter tabs are prevented frommeshing with the cone gears 123 and 125 and the pinions 134 and 134'.For each of the six blends, the arcuate plate 176 will be brought to aposition wherein one of its apertures 177 is in alignment with acorresponding tab 178, and the arcuate plate 172 will be brought to aposition wherein one of its apertures 173 (generally on the samehorizontal level as the aligned aperture in plate 176) is in alignmentwith a corresponding tab 174; the idler gears 129 and 129' on thisparticular level will come into mesh with their cone gears 123 and 125and pinions 134 and 134'. All the other idler gears (to wit, five idlergears in the group 129 and five idler gears in the group 129') will beprevented from meshing with the cone gears and pinions.

For each of the two additional grades of gasoline to be dispensed (towit, the lo gasoline component alone and the hi gasoline componentalone), no corresponding holes are provided in arcuate plates 172 and176. This means that for each of these two latter grades, all of theidler gears 129 and 129' will be prevented from meshing with the conegears and pinion gears (as illustrated in the lower portion of FIG. 7).In each of these cases, the subtractive differential 49 is in effectrendered inoperative to adjust the blend control valve 19, the cone gear123 rotating idly during the dispensing of solely the 10 gasoline andthe cone gear 125 rotating idly during the dispensing of solely the higasoline.

It has been previously stated that during the ON resetting andadjustment cycle, the motor-driven pin 161 engages and rotates crank162, resulting in a rotation of shaft 127 in the clockwise direction inFIG. 7, from the OFF position illustrated, and also a rotation of shaft127' in the counterclockwise direction from its OFF position (notillustrated, but corresponding to the OFF position illustrated for shaft127). When shaft 127 rotates in the clockwise direction, each banjomember 130 tends to push against its respective wishbone spring 132,tending to compress the latter somewhat, and whichever one of the sixtabs 174 is aligned with an aperture 173 in arcuate plate 172 is pushedinto such aperture by the respective spring 132, pushing resilientlyagainst the fixed pin 133 in the corresponding mounting plate 128. Thespring 132 corresponding to the tab 174 which so moves into its aperture173 is compressed somewhat, and exerts a force on pin 133 which tends tomaintain this tab in its aperture 173 (and the corresponding idler gear129 in mesh with cone gear 123 and pinion 134) during the rotation ofsuch gears (which rotation takes place during the actual dispensingoperation).

Similar action takes place during the ON" cycle for the hi gear box,when rocker shaft 127 is rotated in the counterclockwise direction inFIG. 7.

The arcuate plates 172 and 176 are fastened together, so as to berotated simultaneously, by means of a vertically extending pin 179 whichpasses through aligned holes in the two upper stirrup members 171 and175 (the upper one of stirrup members 171 directly overlying the upperone of stirrup members 175) and also through a hole provided in a bevelgear wheel 180, at an eccentric location on such wheel. Gear wheel 180is joumaled on shaft 170. A plurality of holes 181, equally spaced on abase circle which is centered on the axis of shaft 170, are provided inthe hi stirrup member 175. This provides for an adjustment or variationof the included angle between the longitudinal center lines of arcuateplates 172 and 176 (by insertion of pin 179 through an appropriate oneof the holes 181). This possibility of variation of the angular relationbetween the arcuate plates permits effectuation of a change in thenumber of grades of gasoline which are capable of being dispensed by thedispensing apparatus of this invention (for example, a reduction in thenumber of grades from eight to some other number). The variation of theangular relation between the plates 172 and 176, from the relationillustrated, will cause the idler gear 129 which is in mesh with thecone gear 123 (during a dispensing operation) to be in a level differentfrom the idler gear 129' which is in mesh with the cone gear 125 duringthe same operation.

The arcuate plates 172 and 176 are rotated to a selected position (forpositioning no holes in alignment with the tabs 174 and 178, or forpositioning a pair of holes 173 and 177 in alignment with theappropriate ones of tabs 174 and 178, respectively) by means of a sectorbevel gear 182 pinned to shaft and meshing with the bevel gear 180. Thelatter drives the arcuate plates 172 and 176 by means of pin 179.

Refer again to FIG. 2. As previously indicated, in the OFF position,prior to the beginning of an ON cycle, the spring 164 maintains theidler gears 129 and 129 thrown out, that is, out of mesh with the conegears 123 and and pinions 134 and 134', as exemplified in the bottomportion of FIG. 7. In this position, the tabs 174 and 178 are allwithdrawn from the holes in the arcuate plates 172 and 176, and theselatter are free to rotate.

When the reset motor 54 is energized to begin the ON cycle (as a resultof actuation of one of the start pushbuttons 58-65 or 58'-65'), itcauses lever 153 to begin rotating in the clockwise direction. As soonas this lever begins to rotate, lug 158 is freed from engagement withlever 153, so that member 114 can rotate in the ON or counterclockwisedirection, being driven in this direction by spring 118. (Prior to thisfreeing of lug 158, of course, the member 114 is prevented from rotatingdue to the meshed gearing 156, 160). The member 114 rotates to a finalangular position of stop plate 82, the position of the latter beingdetermined by the particular one of the start buttons which has beenactuated.

As member 114 rotates, it rotates shaft 115 (to which it is pinned), andthe rotation of this shaft, through 182, 180, etc., causes rotation ofarcuate plates 172 and 176 to an angular position determined by thefinal angular position of member 114 (and appropriate to the particulargrade of gasoline selected by the actuated start" button). Thearrangement is such that the arcuate plates reach their (selected)angular positions before the motor-driven pin 161 comes into engagementwith crank 162 (it will be remembered that the tabs 174 and 178 are freeof the plates 172 and 176 during this time, so that the latter are freeto rotate). When the pin 161 engages and rotates crank 162, the rockershafts 127 and 127' are rotated (through link 166, etc.) to throw in orbring into mesh the one selected (as determined by the angular positionsof the arcuate plates 172 and 176) idler gear in each group 129 and 129,or, alternatively, to keep all idler gears out of mesh (again asdetermined by the angular positions of the arcuate plates).

It is pointed out that during the ON cycle, the wing plate 155 rotatesin the clockwise direction as member 114 rotates, being driven throughthe gearing 156, 160 from this latter member.

As wing plate 155 rotates, the sector gear 157 carried thereby mesheswith a gear 183 pinned to the camcarrying shaft 184 of a price incrementunit denoted generally by the numeral 36. This price increment unit ispreferably of the type disclosed in FIGS. 8 et seq., of my 908 patent.In the 908 patent, the price increment unit is termed selective gearing.The diametral relation of gears 183 and 157 is such that the shaft 184is rotatable in 40 steps, whereas the wing plate 155 and the member 114rotate in 10 steps (the individual projections 117 on member 1 14 beingin l steps). That is to say, the successive possible stop positions ofmember 114 and of wing plate 155 are separated by whereas the successivepossible stop positions of camshaft 184 are separated by 40.

The camshaft 184 corresponds to camshaft 302 of my 908 patent, andoperates by means of cams to select gearing (for inclusion between thecouplings 35 and 37, FIG. 1) individual to each possible stop in theangular rotation of camshaft 184. The particular gearing selected by theoperation of camshaft 184 depends upon the final angular position towhich this shaft is brought during the ON" cycle, and this in turndepends upon the final angular position of wing plate 155 (the latterbeing governed, as previously described, by the final angular positionof member 114, which in turn depends upon the particular grade ofgasoline selected for dispensing by means of the start pushbuttons 58-65or 5865'). For further details regarding this gearing selection,reference should be made to my 908 patent, wherein the same is morefully and completely described. It is here noted that the rotation ofcamshaft 184 to its final angular position is completed before themotor-driven pin 161 comes into engagement with crank 162.

The price increment unit 36 is provided with a locking arrangement forlocking the price selection gears out of mesh, this locking arrangementpreferably being similar to that illustrated at 338, 340, 342, etc., inFIG. 11 of my 908 patent. The locking arrangement just referred toincludes a rockable lever operated by a locking shaft 163. As previouslydescribed, shaft 163 is secured to crank 162. In the OFF positionillustrated in FIG. 2, the locking shaft 163 is in its locked position,wherein the gears are held out of mesh. The spring 164, acting on crank162, tends to maintain shaft 163 in this locked" position. During theON" cycle, as previously described, the motor-driven pin 161 engagescrank 162 and causes this crank to rotate in the clockwise direction.This happens after camshaft 184 has reached its final angular position,and results in the rotation of shaft 163 to its unlocked position,wherein the proper gear is allowed to go into mesh, as urged by the camand spring. it remains in mesh during the actual dispensing operation,which follows the ON resetting and adjustment cycle.

Refer again to FIG. 5. Relay 108, shown in its unenergized position, hasa pair of normally open contacts 185 which are connected in a seriescircuit extending from the ac. supply terminal 94 (the camoperatedswitch being closed) to the ac. supply terminal 94', by way of a pair ofnormally closed (reed switch) contacts 186 of a reed-switch-actuatingrelay 187 and the operating winding of the solenoid 53. Thus, when relay108 is energized as above described (e.g., as a result of the operationof one of the -37 start contacts denoted as 99 and in FIG. 5), itscontacts close to energize the winding of solenoid 53. The solenoid 53is thus energized simultaneously with the energization of reset motor54, at the beginning of the ON cycle. This solenoid remains energizedafter the end of the ON resetting and adjustment cycle, and throughoutmost if not all of the actual dispensing operation which follows such ONcycle.

Refer now to FIGS. 2, 10, and 11. The blend control valve 19 isgenerally somewhat similar in construction to the combined proportioningand shut-off valve 36 described in my US. Pat. No. 3,073,484. In the 10section of this valve, a shaft 227 serves to mount a spring-engagedvalve shoe 228, which is provided with a cylindrical surface engagingthe interior wall of a chamber 229 in the valve housing or body 230. Theshoe 228 cooperates with an outlet port 231 in the valve body for thecontrol of flow of the lo fuel component, the valve or housing end ofthe lo hose 20 being coupled to receive liquid flowing through thisoutlet port. The valve housing 230 is suitably secured to a fixedsupport or frame 232 (see F I6. 10) provided inside the apparatushousing 1. The 10" gasoline enters thechamber 229 by way of theconnection or coupling 9. It may be seen that by rotation of shaft 227,the shoe 228 may be made to selectively cover or uncover the outlet port231, and thus to control the flow of lo gasoline into the hose 20.

The hi section of the valve 19 is sealed off from the lo section thereofby means of a sealing partition 233. In the hi section of the valve, ashaft 234 serves to mount a spring-engaged valve shoe 235, which isprovided with a cylindrical surface engaging the interior wall of achamber 236 in the valve housing or body. Preferably, the two chambers229 and 236 are cylindrical and have a common longitudinal axis whichextends horizontally." The shoe 235 cooperates with an outlet port 237in the valve body for the control of flow of the hi fuel component, thevalve or housing end of the hi hose 21 (see FIG. 1) being coupled toreceive liquid flowing through this outlet port. The hi gasoline entersthe chamber 236 by way of the connection or coupling 17. It may be seenthat by rotation of shaft 234, the shoe 235 may be made to selectivelycover or

1. In apparatus for the simultaneous delivery of two liquids in anyselected one of a plurality of preestablished ratios, individual meansmetering the deliveries of said liquids, valves individually controllingthe deliveries of said liquids, adjustable means operated by saidmetering means and simultaneously controlling said valves to effect thedelivery of said liquids in substantially a predetermined ratio, aplurality of manually operable pushbuttons one for each of saidpreestablished ratios, and means operating automatically, in response tothe operation of a selected one of said pushbuttons, for adjusting saidadjustable means to a position depending upon which particularpushbutton has been operated.
 2. Apparatus recited in claim 1, whereinsaid pushbuttons are resiliently urged toward their unoperatedpositions, said apparatus including also means acting in response to theoperation of any one of said pushbuttons for mechanically locking thesame in its operated position.
 3. In apparatus for the simultaneousdelivery of first and second liquids in any selected one of a pluralityof preestablished ratios ranging from a zero ratio of the first to thesecond to an infinite ratio of the first to the second, individual meansmetering the deliveries of said liquids, valves individually controllingthe deliveries of said liquids, adjustable means operated by saidmetering means and simultaneously controlling said valves to effect thedelivery of said liquids in substantially a predetermined ratio, aplurality of manually operable pushbuttons one for each of saidpreestablished ratios, first means operating automatically, in responseto the operation of a selected one of said pushbuttons, for adjustingsaid adjustable means to a position depending upon which particularpushbutton has been operated, and second means operating automatically,in response to the operation of said one selected pushbutton, forcausing the presetting of said valves to one or the other of twopredetermined positions depending upon which particular pushbutton hasbeen operated, said second means having certain elements in common withsaid first means.
 4. Apparatus set forth in claim 3, wherein the valvesare preset to one of said predetermined positions for all of saidplurality of preestablished ratios of liquids except an infinite ratioof the first liquid to the second liquid, and are preset to the other ofsaid predetermined positions for an infinite ratio of the first liquidto the second liquid.